U.S. Army Ammunition Plant Linked to Multiple Mass Shootings
- In June 2012, James E. Holmes ordered 1,500 rounds of ammunition from BulkAmmo.com and used it the following month in a mass shooting at a cinema in Aurora, Colorado, killing 12 people and wounding 70. This incident marked the deadliest mass shooting to date with an AR-15-style gun.
- Following a mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School later that year, there was a spike in ammunition sales. By 2014, ammunition manufacturer Lake City reached a record high production of nearly two billion rounds, less than half of which went to the military. The company’s increase in sales helped drive a $300 million annual increase for ATK, the parent company.
- In 2015, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives considered limiting the availability of “green tips”, a variety of 5.56 rounds produced by Lake City for their ability to penetrate steel helmets and light body armor. This proposal faced major backlash from the public and members of Congress, who saw it as a violation of the Second Amendment. The A.T.F. eventually backed down from the proposal.
Mass Shootings Lead to Surge in Ammunition Sales
In June 2012, Colorado graduate student James E. Holmes purchased 1,500 rounds of Lake City ammo from BulkAmmo.com. The following month, Holmes used an AR-15-style rifle loaded with this ammunition to carry out the then deadliest mass shooting incident involving this type of gun at the Aurora cinema, according to The Violence Project.
In the same year, a similar firearm was used in the tragic Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Not using Lake City ammo, the incident nonetheless triggered a renewed gun reform call and an ensuing surge in ammo sales.
By 2014, Lake City’s production soared to nearly two billion rounds, resulting in a $300 million annual growth for ATK, the manufacturer. Following an ATK merger with Orbital, Vista Outdoor became the exclusive seller of Lake City’s commercial products in a three-year contract.
Firearms were profitable, but ammunition was the real winner, as newly interested customers, attracted by first-person-shooter video games, drove ammunition sales, stated Mr. DeYoung, Vista’s lead. He noted the constant consumption at shooting ranges as evidence of the booming business.
The national gun debate started impacting Lake City in 2015 when the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives sought to limit civilian availability of Lake City’s “green tips” ammo. The proposal was met with over 80,000 public comments in opposition and severe backlash from gun industry and Congress members, resulting in its cancellation. Within a year, however, these green tips were implicated in the shooting of six law enforcement officers.
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